童年時常見你，在籬下路邊

I’d see it coming up

成長，綻開叢叢小小的花朵

beside a road, a fence,

紅的，黃的和紫的，親密地聚集

its spray of fleurets

美麗和謙卑，我們都慢慢學曉了

in intimate assembly:

不忘恭敬地採下，串成花環

red, purple, yellow,

掛在夥伴的頸項，然後看你

pretty and humble. We learned

笑開了村裏每一個路口

to pluck them with respect,

string a garland round a friend’s neck,

有時我們忘卻了，粗暴地

each village crossroads an abundance.

摘你一把猶青的果實

向壁壘外的小孩還擊

Sometimes we’d tear handfuls

有時我們摘不到

of the fruit, still green,

高墻後的葡萄

to wing at other kids

就胡亂摘你一片葉

behind their ramparts.

放在拳洞上打破

If grapes beyond a wall

你的傷口裏，有時

were too far to grasp,

會伸出一顆青刺

we’d snatch a lantana leaf

但隨即掩來片片沉厚的綠色

and mash it on a fist.

面對外來的暴行，你只不過

Green thorns lurked

微微透露一種不快的氣味

amid the foliage.

然後是一片更寬廣的容色

In the face of all this wrath

並存的花果，日月和風雨

it gave off an unpleasant scent,

its long vines extending

注：馬纓丹，又名如意草，是香港鄉村常見的灌木。花果成叢簇生，全年開花結果；樹身有刺，樹葉破爛時會發出使人不快的氣味。

to its blossoms, to the sun,

the moon, the rain, the wind.